In 8 words, because it’s the weakest IHG PointBreaks list ever!
To all of you, fellows, who have actually counted the words above—you people are sick! 😯
I have never seen a PointBreaks list that would be so useless. In years! There is absolutely nothing redeeming about these redemptions. Or almost nothing, anyway.
I have always considered the IHG PointBreaks list a nudge for compulsive travel. See the place that seems interesting? Grab it at 5,000 points or $35 per night, buy redeem your plane ticket, and go.
This list? This list is beyond ridiculous!
Disagree? OK! So what is the brightest star in this offering?
InterContinental Nha Trang
You see the Nha Trang InterContinental in Vietnam on this list and you think, oh, here we go! That’s a heck of a deal, Brownie! It’s gotta be! That Nha Trang beach is beautiful and the Nha Trang IC is a 5* hotel with excellent reviews. How can it be not worth it?
Well, it is totally worth it if you’re already going to Nha Trang. But as a nudge in the right direction it fails miserably. It’s Vietnam! When a regular paid room at a hotel goes for around $100—how anxious are you, really, to buy an expensive plane ticket (or spend an ungodly amount of miles) and fly to the other corner of the world to save $60-65 a night ?
IHG PointBreaks –InterContinental Nha Trang
Wait, don’t answer that, for the question is moot, anyway. Almost all PointBreaks dates at the IC Nha Trang, save a few, are sold out. Some habits of my fellow hobbyists really make me shake my head. How much do you want to bet that 90% of those who have hoarded their nights just in case will not make it to Vietnam in the next 2 months?
Really want to go to Nha Trang? Just wait. Folks will be canceling their bookings en mass, as the time marches on.
If you are slated to travel around Vietnam anyway, they also have Crowne Plaza in West Hanoi, and there are no availability issues, at least for now. Besides, they treat the elites just right according to Loyalty Lobby, which is a rarity for this almost useless program.
IHG Crowne Plaza PointBreaks – Hanoi West
Holiday Inn: Andorra
Here is another interesting destination. Andorra is a tiny city-state sandwiched in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. When I was traveling in Costa Brava, I saw buses both in Girona and Barcelona going to Andorra. I was really tempted to hop on one of them, but didn’t, due to the lack of time. And Holiday Inns in Europe are completely different animals than in the US—this one is a solid 4-star hotel. So it’s gotta be a killer deal, right?
Wrong! It would be a killer deal, if Andorra wasn’t nearly as cheap as Nha Trang. While you won’t spend as much money or miles to fly to Barcelona or Toulouse (the two nearest airports), you probably won’t be tempted to see Andorra just to save a few bucks. Although, if you are traveling in the area, this might be a good enough incentive to take a little detour. Availability is wide-open for now.
IHG PointBreaks — Holiday Inn Andorra
Crowne Plaza Belgrade
A friend has recently come back from Belgrade and he was raving about the city. And the Crowne Plaza Belgrade is a very well reviewed 4-star hotel, so again, if you really want to visit Belgrade, you can’t go wrong. But at the same price point as the IC Nha Trang, the question remains: is saving $60-70 a night a good enough incentive or not?
No problem with availability, at least for now.
IHG PointBreaks — Crowne Plaza Belgrade
These are the best international properties I’ve found in the new list. If I missed something, please, no really, PLEASE tell me what it was.
So, where is the value?
Funny you asked, because the best value I’ve found here is Holiday Inn, Carlsbad, California. I haven’t gone through all the US properties with a fine comb, but this is the only hotel that caught my eye. It’s close enough to San Diego if you get bored with the beaches, and at least you can save a hundred bucks, compared to a paid stay.
IHG PointBreaks –Holiday Inn Carlsbad, CA
Conclusion
Meh!
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